This study examines the impact of access to time-saving appliances (TSA) on children's educational outcomes in rural Pakistan, with a particular focus on school retention, which reflects students' ability to remain enrolled and progress through the education system. Using village-level ownership in households without school-aged children as an instrument, this study identifies a causal link between time-saving appliances (TSA) ownership –specifically refrigerators and washing machines – and improved school retention among children. Our findings indicate that owning TSAs reduces overall dropout rates by 17 percentage points and increases years of schooling by 1.62 years. These effects are significantly stronger for girls, whose dropout rates decline by 43 percentage points, while their years of schooling increase by 2.76 years. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effects are strongest in households where parental educational aspirations exceed the median. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance educational retention and address gender disparities in Pakistan's education system.

中文翻译：

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节省时间的电器和教育陷阱：来自巴基斯坦的证据

本研究考察了使用省时电器 （TSA） 对巴基斯坦农村儿童教育成果的影响，特别关注学校保留率，这反映了学生在教育系统中保持入学和进步的能力。本研究以没有学龄儿童的家庭的村级所有权为工具，确定了节省时间的电器 （TSA） 所有权（特别是冰箱和洗衣机）与提高儿童的学校保留率之间的因果关系。我们的研究结果表明，拥有 TSA 可将总体辍学率降低 17 个百分点，并将受教育年限增加 1.62 年。这些影响对女孩来说要强得多，她们的辍学率下降了 43 个百分点，而她们的受教育年限增加了 2.76 年。此外，异质性分析表明，在父母教育愿望超过中位数的家庭中，这种影响最强。这些发现为旨在提高教育保留率和解决巴基斯坦教育系统中性别差异的政策制定者提供了宝贵的见解。